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Civil War History To Come To Life In Van Buren

The booming sounds of artillery will bring area history to life next month in Van Buren.

The Drennen-Scott Historic Site will host infantry and artillery demonstrations, living-history presentations, a Civil War-themed program on the historic home and its family and more from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 6 at the site, 221 N. Third St. in Van Buren. The free events are aimed at all ages and will commemorate the 1862 federal attack on then-Confederte-held Van Buren, said Tom Wing, site director.

“We’re in the midst of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, and it was such a crossroads in our history,” he said. “One historian said it best — before the Civil War, it was ‘the United States are,’ and after the Civil War, it became ‘the United States is.’ Through the good and the bad, the Civil War unified us.”

Operated by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, the site will host activities “at the top of each hour” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., said Wing, who also is an assistant professor at UAFS. The activities were designed to enlighten individuals about key historical events in the area, he said.

“We’ll have a full artillery crew on our reproduction cannon, and there will be some people doing infantry and some people dressed as civilians of that time,” Wing said.

Those attending will be able to tour the Drennen-Scott home, which was literally surrounded by Civil War activity back in the 1860s, he said.

“With the Civil War, you had Americans fighting on both sides, and there was a tragic loss of life,” Wing said. “But the Civil War also was a war that ended slavery and unified the country on another level. It probably prepared us for other events that would come later, like World War I and World War II.”

In late 1862, following the Battle of Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas, federal troops pushed their way down into the Van Buren-Fort Smith region, forcing Confederate troops to retreat into Fort Smith, he said. Federal troops burned warehouses and attacked steamboats, thus bringing the Civil War to the residents of Crawford County.

Two weeks later, Union soldiers fell back into northwest Arkansas before returning to the area in September 1863; Union troops remained in western Arkansas until the end of the Civil War, Wing said.

To date, UAFS has received more than $5 million in grants to maintain the Drennen home, which was purchased from fifth-generation descendants of the home’s original owner, John Drennen. Those descendants are Scott Bulloch of Van Buren, Caroline Bercher of Lavaca and Drennen Bulloch of Little Rock.

A founder of Van Buren, John Drennen was an Indian agent, businessman, land owner and politician. His business partner was Charles Scott, who later married Drennen’s oldest daughter. Following John Drennen’s death in 1855, Charles and Caroline Scott obtained control over the Drennen estate.

Wing said he hoped that 400 or more people attend the event.

“On a local scale, the Civil War in Arkansas was very brutal and ugly,” he said. “Yes, it was on a much smaller scale, but there was it was more cutthroat here as a result, and the people suffered greatly. It’s important for us to remember that.”

Drennen-Scott Historic Site’s Civil War Events

Oct. 6 at DSHS, 221 N. Third St. in Van Buren

• 10 a.m. — Infantry Demonstration

• 11 a.m. — Artillery Demonstration

• Noon — Living-History Demonstration

• 1 p.m. — Drennen-Scott Family in the Civil War

• 2 p.m. — Artillery Demonstration

• 3 p.m. — Infantry Demonstration

• 4 p.m. — Artillery Demonstration

The events are free and for all ages. Limited parking will be available at the Drennen-Scott home, with additional parking located two blocks away at the Crawford County Courthouse.